WE ALL
MAKE MISTAKES. Nobody’s perfect. Not even some of the greatest geniuses in
history, as Mario Livio tells us in this marvelous story of scientific error
and breakthrough.
Charles
Darwin, William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), Linus Pauling, Fred Hoyle, and Albert
Einstein were all brilliant scientists. Each made groundbreaking contributions
to his field—but each also stumbled badly. Darwin’s theory of natural selection
shouldn’t have worked, according to the prevailing beliefs of his time. Not
until Gregor Mendel’s work was known would there be a mechanism to explain
natural selection. How could Darwin be both wrong and right? Lord Kelvin,
Britain’s leading scientific intellect at the time, gravely miscalculated the
age of the earth. Linus Pauling, the world’s premier chemist (who would win the
Nobel Prize in chemistry) constructed an erroneous model for DNA in his haste
to beat the competition to publication. Astrophysicist Fred Hoyle dismissed the
idea of a “Big Bang” origin to the universe (ironically, the caustic name he
gave to this event endured long after his erroneous objections were disproven).
And Albert Einstein, whose name is synonymous with genius, speculated incorrectly
about the forces that hold the universe in equilibrium—and that speculation
opened the door to brilliant conceptual leaps. These five scientists expanded
our knowledge of life on earth, the evolution of the earth itself, and the
evolution of the universe, despite and because of their errors. As Mario Livio
luminously explains, the scientific process advances through error. Mistakes
are essential to progress.
Brilliant
Blunders is a singular tour through the world of science and scientific
achievement—and a wonderfully insightful examination of the psychology of five
fascinating scientists.
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